Did plastic break down or the electrical contacts? If the same plastic is used then they may have failed at the same time, relatively speaking. Plastic have a finite life as uv exposure breaks down plastic. Electrical contacts last only so long and vary with current loads. 21 years is an eternity for cars with most owners changing them as maintenance costs rise. To make things interesting, some owners rack up more miles in one year than others that use theirs for local trips. Wear and tear.

I've owned several ski boots over the years and a few simply fell apart from a simple act like kicking against a wooden stair to knock off snow. Several pairs failed. Ski bindings too. Plastic used in ski bindings fail and these are supposedly name brand equipment............boots and bindings.

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...I've owned several ski boots over the years and a few simply fell apart from a simple act like kicking against a wooden stair to knock off snow. Several pairs failed. Ski bindings too. Plastic used in ski bindings fail and these are supposedly name brand equipment............boots and bindings.

The 1990s were hard on the ski industry’s...quality.
As one of my engineering materials professor once said, “Plastic is not an engineering material.”

On a side note... has anyone ever taken apart the driver's seat buckle apart and how does the switch in it work? would spraying contact cleaner in there work? At least it thinks I always have my belt on.

couldn't hurt that would be my preference since it is fast and easy, and may take care of the issue.
it just closes a contact that closes a circuit when buckled in. May also want to check under the seat; if someone in the back stuck their foot in, may have pulled wires out causing them to ground or something. It may be easier just to remove the seat if the contact cleaner doesn't work

my 98 SL2 was a M-F commuter that sat on the weekends; just (bad) luck of the draw on the switches - Murphy's cousin? Come to think of it, contact cleaner on all the other switches may be worth trying - some of them are greased and over the years, they accumulate dust and whatnot

I switched the column and horn switches from a parts car that I have. I discovered that the horn switches itself were fine, but there was a build up of crud around the button preventing free movement. I cleaned them up and put them away as its difficult to find them now.

As for the seat belt light/ chime.... That started working again on its own after sitting for the weekend. In case anyone is wondering the seat belt light is not part of the bulb check. If it is buckled before you start the car, it will not light at all.

Oddly the headlight switch worked fine too after the weekend but I decided to swap it out because I had already taken it out of the parts car.